April 17, 2006

W. Lacrosse Tames Bears

By | April 17, 2006

In a game filled with dramatic shifts in momentum, No. 12 Cornell capitalized on its opportunities en route to a 17-8 victory over Brown in Providence, R.I., this past Saturday.

The Red scored on 68 percent of its shots on goal and used a 9-0 run spanning parts of the first and second halves to pull away from the Bears (4-7, 1-2 Ivy). In earning the win, Cornell (8-2, 4-1 Ivy) recorded season-highs in both number of goals (17) and number of players scoring a goal (10).

The game started off slowly as neither team could find the back of the net until senior tri-captain Allison Schindler put Cornell on the board with her first goal of the game from a feed by sophomore Courtney Farrell. Brown responded shortly thereafter as Kate Staley’s free-position goal knotted the score at one. The two squads traded tallies, bringing the score to 2-2, 17:33 into the game.

“We started off a bit slow on both ends, a little bit sloppy -the grass always does that to us,” said assistant coach Laurie Tortorelli.

Cornell eventually found its rhythm, adjusting to the field conditions and physical play. The Red erupted for six goals to close out the half as junior Lindsey Moore started the run with an unassisted tally with 11:22 to go in the half. The Red would score on goals by juniors Allison McKeown and Margaux Viola and two by sophomore Katherine Simmons before freshman Jessica Wiegand’s free position goal as time expired sent Cornell into the locker room with a 8-2 halftime lead.

The Red carried its momentum through the break and picked up right where it left off as sophomore Noelle Dowd scored off of an assist by Wiegand just eight seconds in. Simmons recorded her third score of the game and 21st of the season 35 seconds later. Dowd’s second goal of the game concluded the scoring run and extended the Red’s lead to 11-2.

Over the subsequent six minutes, Brown went on a 4-0 run to narrow Cornell’s lead to 11-6. That would be as close as the Bears would get as the Red responded with a 4-0 run of its own.

After two goals by Brown brought the score to 15-8, Schindler capped off the scoring on the day with two free-position goals in the final two minutes of the game.

Senior goaltender Maggie Fava finished with six saves on the day and sophomore Amanda Linnertz finished with a game-high five draw controls. According to Tortorelli, the play of both players was significant in helping shift the momentum to Cornell’s favor throughout the game.

Related

ByApril 18, 2006

At 6’5″, junior David Pell towers over most of his peers. Even more impressive than his height, however, is how high he can jump.

Since coming to Cornell, Pell has improved over six inches in the high jump – with his most notable accomplishment recently being his clearance of 7’0 1/2″ at the UC Irvine Invitational last month, a height he had been attempting all season. Pell’s performance not only tied the school record, but as of now gives him the best jump this season in the Ivy League and in the Eastern Region.

“The biggest reason David has improved so much is that he pays attention to details in both training and performance,” said men’s head coach Nathan Taylor. “He is very much a student of the event.”

Consistency has also been a key factor in Pell’s improvement this year, as he has spent time working on both the mental and physical aspects of the event in order to push his performance to the next level. A foot injury last year put a damper on his sophomore season, forcing him to miss close to five weeks of regular training and competition. Although he jumped well at several meets, there were others where he just simply didn’t perform.

“Just because you jump a height once does not mean that you will do it again,” Taylor said.

This outdoor season, Pell has met the NCAA regional qualifying mark in nearly every competition.

“At this stage, there have been very few meets [for David] that have not been at a very high level,” Taylor said. “His performances are becoming more and more permanent.”

Like most track events, the high jump is just as much a mental game as it is a physical one. Athletes can often find themselves doing poorly even when they are in peak physical condition. Pell has worked constantly on improving the mental portion of his event.

“You can’t let your mind get in the way of your body,” Pell said. “You can’t get intimidated.”

Pell has certainly shown that he can separate the two, and has turned his focus towards fine-tuning his technique. Over the summer, he mastered the rhythm of the last few steps of his approach and is now working on his knee drive and jumping at a distance farther away from the bar than usual.

“All of the little things can make the difference,” Pell said. “It takes a lot of knowing about your body and being aware.”

Taylor also noted the importance of the technical parts of the event, as well as Pell’s willingness to work hard during training, weight lifting and at competitions to further develop and hone his skills.

“He does all the right stuff with the training and psychological parts, and now it is just a matter of harnessing them,” Taylor said. “Staying focused on the process and technical details will allow him to get to that point.”

Pell’s dedication to and love of high jumping have certainly been influential in his success, and paired with his humble demeanor and quiet appreciation for opportunities passed in his direction make him an ideal athlete to have as a teammate and to coach. While some people may skip out on lifting sessions or complain that they are still on the track when the sun goes down, Pell makes sure he is there until every last piece of his workout is completed.

“David is very realistic about what to do and how to do it. He’s very coachable” Taylor said. “Sometimes it’s eight o-clock before they get out of practice, and he never complains about it being late. He really has a great outlook on track.”
Archived article by Erin GarrySun Staff Writer

ByApril 18, 2006

Body:
While many Cornell students are thinking about how they plan to relax during their final lull between the recent wave of prelims and the dreaded forthcoming finals, the men’s tennis team gets no such reprieve. The team, coached by Barry Schoonmaker, is currently 10-8 (2-3 Ivy) and has its final hump of the regular season to get over against Penn and Princeton this upcoming weekend.